Long-Term Kinetics of Serum Galactomannan during Treatment of Complicated Invasive Pulmonary Aspergillosis

Several studies have evaluated the serum galactomannan (GM) antigen assay in pediatric patients, and there is convincing evidence for its usefulness as a diagnostic tool for invasive <i>Aspergillus</i> infections in patients with acute leukemias or post allogeneic hematopoietic cell tran...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Athanasios Tragiannidis, Christina Linke, Carlos L. Correa-Martinez, Heidrun Herbrüggen, Frieder Schaumburg, Andreas H. Groll
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2023-01-01
Series:Journal of Fungi
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2309-608X/9/2/157
Description
Summary:Several studies have evaluated the serum galactomannan (GM) antigen assay in pediatric patients, and there is convincing evidence for its usefulness as a diagnostic tool for invasive <i>Aspergillus</i> infections in patients with acute leukemias or post allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT). Less is known about the utility of the assay in monitoring responses to treatment in patients with established invasive aspergillosis (IA). Here, we present the long-term kinetics of serum galactomannan in two severely immunocompromised adolescents with invasive pulmonary aspergillosis (IPA) who were cured after complicated clinical courses. We also review the utility of the GM antigen assay in serum as a prognostic tool around the time of diagnosis of IA and as a biomarker to monitor disease activity in patients with established IA and assess responses to systemic antifungal therapy.
ISSN:2309-608X